GREELEY — A transgender woman’s family said goodbye to her killer Friday afternoon just before a district judge sentenced him to 60 years in prison on top of a life sentence.

“I wish you nothing but the worst,” said Monica Murguia, whose letter to Allen Andrade was read aloud by her sister, Tina Blea. Both were sisters of 18-year-old Angie Zapata, who was beaten to death in her Greeley apartment in July by Andrade after he discovered she was born a male.

Blea and Zapata’s mother spoke during the two-hour hearing that ended with Andrade’s conviction as a habitual criminal. Prosecutors proved Andrade had been convicted of six prior felonies — nearly all property crimes.

Last month, a Weld County jury found Andrade, 32, guilty of first-degree murder, which carried a life sentence.

Andrade will stay in the Weld County jail until lawyers agree on a restitution plan. He will be transferred to the Colorado Department of Corrections later this month.

Andrade and Zapata met on a social-networking website, and Andrade stayed with Zapata for almost three days before he beat her to death with a fire extinguisher.

Her body was found July 17.

Habitual-criminal status allowed Weld District Judge Marcelo Kopcow to enhance the three other counts Andrade was found guilty of on April 22 in addition to the murder charge. Kopcow sentenced Andrade to 24 years each for identity theft and aggravated motor-vehicle theft, and to 12 years for a bias-motivated crime. The theft charges stem from the credit cards and car that Andrade took from Zapata’s apartment.

All are to be served consecutively. It’s believed this is the first time someone has been convicted under a state’s hate- crime statute based on the victim’s transgender status.

In her letter, Murguia described how Zapata — born Justin — wanted to be a girl at an early age and began dressing as one when she went to high school.

“She was, in many ways, the best of me,” Murguia said. “I will forever call Angie my sister.”

Zapata’s mother, Maria Zapata, advanced toward Andrade, who sat at the defense table while she spoke during the hearing. She said: “Why? Why? Why?”

“He could have walked away, but he chose to hit and hit my baby,” Maria Zapata said. “But he wasn’t man enough to walk away. He had to prove something . . . to who I do not know.”

Andrade said nothing at the hearing. One of his sisters spoke briefly on his behalf.

His attorney, public defender Annette Kundelius, said Andrade was not the monster portrayed in the media and by prosecutors.

Andrade, Kundelius said, made a bad choice one day that he is living to regret. “I don’t think Mr. Andrade’s life can be summed up by this one act.”

Kundelius asked for the bias-crime conviction, as well as the other two lesser counts, be served concurrently. But Kopcow said consecutive terms were justified.

“You have chosen to hurt people,” Kopcow said, “rather than be a productive member of society.”

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